The first obstacle to turning around Mexico’s brand relative to tourism was facing up to the problem caused by the negative publicity about drug violence…The other was the limited view of what vacationing in Mexico meant to American consumers.

To succeed, it came up with the slogan, “Mexico: the place you thought you knew.” The message provided the opportunity to talk about all that Mexico had to offer, put the violence issue in context, and also be tailorable to the press, travel partners and consumers.